LAS VEGAS

Security Resource

“Celebrate our past and revel in the spirit of the future,” was the theme of the National Burglar and Fire Alarm Association’s (NBFAA) 2000 Awards Gala. The event, held on Monday, March 13, took place at the Hilton. NBFAA members from throughout the United States gathered for the dinner to honor recipients of key awards, including The Morris F. Weinstock, Sara E. Jackson, Police Official of the Year, Fire Official of the Year and First Line of Defense Awards. Proceeds from the dinner went toward the Alarm Industry Research and Education Foundation (AIREF).

Pam Alva, former NBFAA treasurer and president of Allied Security Alarms in San Francisco, received the Morris F. Weinstock “Person of the Year” Award. The moment was bittersweet for the security veteran, who announced that she was leaving the industry for personal reasons. As an active participant in NBFAA, Alva served on the AIREF Board and as NBFAA vice president. She also was the past president of the California Alarm Association (CAA).

“I’d like to thank each and every one of you for your dedication to the industry and your friendship,” Alva says. “Thank you for this great honor.”
The Sarah E. Jackson Award was presented to NBFAA Elections Committee Chairman John Knox. NBFAA recognized Knox for his efforts in facilitating the association’s first mail ballot campaign.

Leon Baker, chief private security services section assistant division director for the Department of Criminal Justice Services in Virginia, became the first honoree in five years to receive the NBFAA President’s Award. Another special honor, the First Line of Defense Award, went to Network Alarm of Norman, Okla.

The association also named Mary Anne Johnson, alarm unit manager of the Plano, Texas, Police Department, the 1999 Police Official of the Year; while Chief Julius Halas of the Longboat Key, Fla., Fire Department was recognized as the 1999 Fire Official of the Year.